Natural Light (lovingly called Natty Light), is a dirt cheap college beer which is probably the worst thing you’ve ever drank.

Few things say ‘the future’ more than space travel. The reason I feel that these two unlikely companions should be placed side by side is because they’ve both got their eyes on same thing:

The future of space exploration

To explain, let’s start off with the beer.

Natty Light

This beer is a classic college student beverage. Known for its watered down taste and usually purchased in large quantities by college kids throwing a party and trying to save money, Natty is not a beer aficionado’s beer.

Well, two Natty Light fans found out that no beers have been in space. They decided to send Natty where no beer has gone before; outer space (or at least the start of space). By setting up a cooler with a few Natty Lights, tethered to a weather balloon, they successfully sent the beer into space!

Although Natty is definitely at the bottom of the list of quality beers, it’s the only one on the list of beers that traveled to space!

Paul Davies

The physicist comes in, in a very different but related way.

In an interview with Wired Davies explained his theory that the only way as of yet, we’d be able to get men (and women), on Mars would be by sending them there with a one way ticket. The physicist, who clearly isn’t joking about his idea of one way space travel proposes that extremely well experienced and trained scientists be sent to Mars with the intention of setting up a permanent colony there for research.

When challenged with the problems facing such an expedition (the first ever of its kind), Davies responded with; “the technology either exists or is foreseeable.”

For my part, I’m happy to see that Natty Light and Davies are taking proactive steps to ensure that we keep on exploring our planetary neighbors. Considering NASA hasn’t been doing much to reassure Americans that it’s still at the head of the ‘space race’ it’s nice to see someone thinking about the future.

Let’s just hope that if Davies’ plan ever gets carried through, and indeed we are able to establish a permanent human presence on Mars, the last thing we give these brave pioneers to drink is Natty Light.

I’d feel comfortable setting them up with something a little more high quality (like some of Dogfish Head’s premium ales). That way the astronauts could kick back after a long day of Martian rock analysis with a delicious brew. Making Dogfish Head the first beer on Mars…